


Taako's End

by ManiManTheWriter



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Graphic Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-08 04:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14096745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManiManTheWriter/pseuds/ManiManTheWriter
Summary: In another life Taako handed out servings and forty people died. Taako and Sazed ran, and Sazed left Taako all alone with nothing in the middle of the night. In this life, Taako took a taste of his chicken and smiles as he passes out samples. It's not a moment later that he starts to cough and after a moment he falls over dead. People scream and cry, dropping the food. Someone catches Sazed as he tries to run. He is tried and found guilty of the murder of Taako and the attempted murder of forty other people.





	1. The Beginning of the End

Glamour Springs was supposed to be his biggest show ever, he was really starting off his big career as a traveling chef. But of course Sazed just couldn’t handle that. Sazed decided to take Taako’s fate into his own hands and poison the garlic while no one was paying attention.

In another life Taako handed out servings and forty people died. Taako and Sazed ran, and Sazed left Taako all alone with nothing in the middle of the night.

In this life, Taako took a taste of his chicken and smiles as he passes out samples he starts to cough and after a moment falls over dead. People scream and cry, dropping the food. Someone catches Sazed as he tries to run. He is tried and found guilty of the murder of Taako and the attempted murder of forty other people.

Taako is buried somewhere nice and every day his fans bring gifts to his grave, lamenting his untimely death. So many people say that his death was too soon. He was at the height of his career. All of that taken away by a selfish person.

In the ethereal plane two goddesses talk about an elf that one wanted very much because he is Important to make sure things flow as they are supposed to. The other did not want to give up a soul that is supposed to be gone. After some debating the soul is brought out and given to Istus.

“Thank you my friend. You’ll see in time just how important this one is.”

“We’ll see Istus, we will see.”

A nearby reaper watches curiously as the soul of a beautiful elf is held by Istus and taken away. He didn’t know exactly why it was happening, but he trusted his Queen to make the right judgement. Even if she had a soft spot for Istus that was very sweet. Of course he couldn’t get his mind off of the elf. He wondered if he would see them again.

 

Istus holds the soul close as she goes back to her domain.

_ ‘Taako, you are safe here. I won’t harm you. In fact I have an offer for you so you can have a life again. For now though just rest and allow me to take care of you.’ _

She holds the soul close and lets a body form back around it, an exact replica of the one he had inhabited. Of course it would take some time, but she knew they had plenty of it for now. His body would be done before everything that needed to take place began. Once everything is set and Taako has another body, Istus helps him get used to it again.

It takes a few years, but eventually she sends him on his way to continue on his destiny, with some tweaks here and there. Nothing too big. She didn’t change the overall story, but some details had to change after his death. He wouldn’t join up with most of his group. Instead he would find his brother in law and sister, helping them. It worked better that way. Especially now that he had all of his memories restored.

So Taako leaves, getting the Umbra Staff first and holding it close. His sister… Oh Lucretia would rue the day she came up with this plan, he would be sure of that. Now he had to find Barry and work on fixing things before it was all too late. Then he had to report to Istus.

Finding Lup had been easy, but it was surprisingly hard to find a man with the name Barry Bluejeans. It was such an odd name but no, he was practically a mystery. He needed Barry before he could free Lup. Then it was guaranteed that she would be stable. If only he was easier to find!

“Istus help Barry because when I find him I’m going to kick his ass.”

_ ‘My dear Taako we both know you will not do that.’ _

“You are putting a lot of faith in me here, but you do have it all right there. But it’s a small change I will make in the plan because I really want to.”


	2. Barry Bluejeans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako finds Barry, or vice versa.

Barry Bluejeans didn’t remember who he was, but he had his handy book, written in his own hand. It kept him up to date with what he was doing before his demise. So when the book said that he had to find Taako he was confused. Earlier in the book it said Taako had died and was buried in Goldcliff. Maybe that’s what he meant, was that he had to go there? Why not say that then? It was confusing to say the least. It was him who wrote it though, so he had to have some kind of idea as to what he was talking about. With a shrug he packs up his things and grabs his map, heading to Goldcliff.

When he gets there he heads to the graveyard and starts looking around. When he finds Taako’s grave he smiles a little. It was ostentatious, bright, and had so many flowers around it that he couldn’t get very close. This is the end that Taako deserved. He always wanted to be adored and now he was. As he stands there someone comes up beside him.

“You know this guy?”

“Taako? Yeah, he uh… We were pretty close a long time ago. I’m glad that this is what his grave looks like. He was always scared that he wouldn’t be remembered.”

“Wow Barold, thanks for outing me to what could have been a complete stranger. I’ll remember this.”

Barry looks over. His first thought is  _ Lup.  _ But no, Lup wouldn’t wear a hat like that. This was Taako.

“Taako? What- But you’re dead!”

“Hey, not so loud. Yes I am but if you could not blow my cover that would be great. Now come on and shut up.” With that Taako casts prestidigitation on himself, becoming more normal. Almost like someone who idolized Taako and just wanted to visit.

Barry follows him out of Goldcliff and off to a temple.

“Why are we at a temple of Istus? Taako we need to talk about a lot of things right now.”

“Calm down a minute, I gotta talk to someone.”

Taako sits in front of the altar, dropping his spell and taking off his hat.

“Anyone home?”

_ ‘Yes Taako, you know I’ll always answer your call.’ _

“I know, just checking. Anyway, guess who I found~”

_ ‘You found Barry. Good. Fill him in on everything and then work on the next part of your plan.’ _

“Will do. I’ll fill you in again when we’re done.”

_ ‘I await your call.’ _

With that he gets up and puts his hat back on.

“Alright Barold, you ready to bring back my sister?”

“Of course! How do we do that?”

With a grin Taako brings the Umbra Staff down on his knee.


	3. Lup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup is back and better than ever.

Lup had been trapped within the Umbra Staff for a few years now and she finally had things down. She knew that if she was patient someone would eventually pick it up. Someone had to want a dope ass umbrella wand. At one point she feels a very familiar hand and hears two very familiar voices. Merle and Magnus… Oh Merle, sorry bud. That’s not who she was waiting for. So the two left. It wasn’t much longer that she felt a very familiar grip and heard a voice that made her so happy.

“Hey Lulu, you miss me?”

She uses up all of her energy to send off a shower of sparks to say  _ ‘Yes!’  _

“Good, I missed you too. Now let’s get out of here and find your boy toy.”

Barry… Oh she was going to have Barry here too, that was wonderful. So she sits and waits patiently, hoping that Taako would find him quickly. She had to hope that she would be with the closest parts of her family again soon. That’s all she’d wanted since she’d gotten trapped in the Umbra Staff.

In that time she learns some things about what Taako had been up to. He’d been a traveling chef. That sounded like a role fitting her brother very well. He could be on the road all the time, make good meals, and get all of the praise that he deserved. Then came the bombshell.

He had died… His own assistant had poisoned the food and he’d done as he always would. He took the first bite to sample it before passing it out to forty people. Before he realized what had happened he was dead.

She knew for a fact though that her brother wasn’t a lich, she would have sensed that even from within the umbrella. So how was he alive? The answer was surprising in a way, but she guessed it shouldn’t be. The goddess of fate, Istus. Of course she’d want to be sure everything went as it should. Even if that meant literally bringing her brother back from the dead.

Now though, it wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Now she heard Barry. She had to hope Taako would hurry so she could get to Barry already, that’s all she wanted now. She wanted to be close to both of them even if she didn’t have a body at the moment. That didn’t matter.

When she feels the Umbra Staff break she pushes her way out and puts on a little show, then looks at the two of them.

“Guess who’s back babes.”

Seeing Barry’s smile made the wait worthwhile. She was so in love with him and seeing that smile let her know that he was still so in love with her.

“Alright, let’s get to work on saving the world.”

The other two nod and Barry speaks up.

“I think I’ve got a body for you babe. If not I bet I can make one soon. I am so ready to hold you.”

Taako makes a noise.

“Gross.”

Barry blushes a bit and looks away.

“Anyway, come on. Let’s go get you in a body Lup.”

“Sounds like a plan. Taako are you coming?”

“I gotta report in and then I’ll catch up.”

Lup nods and does her best to put their foreheads together, then leaves with Barry. If Taako showed up with slightly red eyes she wasn’t about to mention it and neither would Barry.

After getting back to Barry’s cave Lup goes into her fresh body. It was an odd experience and then-

“Who are you? Where am I?”

An elf approaches first.

“Your name is Lup, and you’re my twin sister. The human is Barry and you guys are married. I’ve got a book for you that explains all of it and it’s in your writing sis. Who best to trust than yourself?”

She nods and grabs some nearby clothes, putting them on quickly. They fit perfectly and felt right. These had to be her’s then. Once she’s dressed her possible brother hands over the book and she starts reading. When she gets to the end she sees her signature repeated over and over again, so she tests it out. Yeah, that was her alright.

“Alright boys, what’s the plan?”

Both of them hug her and then Taako speaks up.

“We find Lucretia and make it so everyone remembers. Right now it’s really just me and her.”

Lup nods and squeezes her boys, then let’s go.

“Alright, let’s go find her so we can work on putting the light back together and get everyone’s memories back.”

With that they head out, searching for any clues on Lucretia’s whereabouts. She was good though, so it was bound to take some time. If only they could find someone close to her. Then they could work their way up to getting to her.

Thankfully they meet up with two very familiar faces. Magnus and Merle, now that was one way to find Lucretia. Lup manages to talk them into taking them back to her, saying the three of them wanted to join her organization and help in any way they could.

Taako ends up pulling Lup aside before they get going.

“What’s up Koko?”

“I can’t go with you. I’ve still got a job to do. But I’ll see you around.”

“Taako we just got back together, you can’t leave now.”

“Sorry sis, I gotta.”

He hugs her tightly and then leaves. It hurt to watch him go, but she would find him later. She promised herself that.


	4. Lucretia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does Lucretia feel about all of this?

Lucretia didn’t know how it had come to this, but here she was. She was in charge of an organization now to bring the light of creation back together and fix what they had done. She would make sure the Hunger couldn’t get to them. In the meantime though, she had to see Davenport every day, reduced to just his name. It hurt so much to know that she had done that and she hoped that one day she could forgive him.

Then came the news about Taako. That broke her for a good week. She didn’t leave her office at all. Taako was dead and it was her fault. If she’d put him somewhere better then he could still be alive. If Lup came back it would be her death, she just knew it. So after that she sent out the order that red robed creatures were not to be trusted and any sightings of them were to be reported to her. She was scared of what Lup would do. Of what Barry would do even. Barry was as close to Taako as Lup was. What chance did she stand against them?

When she brings on Magnus and Merle it hurts to know that Taako should have been with them. It takes some time for her to stop trying to say his name when she addresses the two of them. At one point she goes and visits Taako’s grave and leaves a big hat on top of his grave since there wasn’t one there. He would have wanted that. That was just part of who he was.

It’s only a year later that Lup and Barry are standing before her. She was so sure that was her end, but they didn’t seem to know her. That was good at least, she was spared from Lup’s flames for now. So she inoculates them and sends them on their way to become reclaimers like Magnus and Merle. Now everyone was in one spot, except for Taako.

With a heavy heart she goes to visit the baby voidfish, wanting some kind of company that wasn’t Davenport. When she gets there she sees a hat… The same hat she put on Taako’s grave. Quickly she shuts down her office and searches, but can’t find a trace of anyone. Someone had been here though… Someone knew and she didn’t know who it was.

It happens many times over the next year. The hat moved from place to place, scaring her and confusing the other members of the B.o.B. Someone or something was tormenting her with that hat and until she was sure who it was she just couldn’t throw out an accusation like that. No, then it would get out that she knew more than she was telling them and that was not good. She couldn’t risk that, not when she was so close. She had to finish this and then whatever was taunting her would come next.

If only the moving hat would stop appearing on her bed. Then she wouldn’t have to acknowledge it at all. But she had to move it to sleep. No way would she just lay on it. That was something she would not do. That was a good way to anger whoever was doing this. She knew that for a fact.

 

It takes some time, but eventually she stops being so scared of the hat appearing in random places. It just hurt. Maybe it was Lup, there was no way she wouldn’t feel that her brother was gone. They were so close. Or maybe it was Magnus playing tricks on her and he had no idea. He shouldn’t know about the hat though. Perhaps it was Taako himself, messing with her somehow from beyond the grave. Anything was possible.

She’d do anything to make this stop. The torment was hard, not being able to tell anyone was harder. Who could she tell that wouldn’t flip everything on her and make things worse? If only she’d made a better choice when it came to Taako. He would be alive and he could be here. They would all be together again like old times. Even a couple of their old jokes were coming back in new forms. How could it not with the six of them together?

Now though, she was close to finishing things. All but one of the relics was with her. Taako’s was supposed to be recovered, but it was gone before the team she sent in got there. Maybe Lucas lost it somehow, who knows. All she knew is that she had to find it and fast. So she sends out a team of locators to search for anything even remotely like the stone.

After that she goes back to her office, only to freeze as the door shuts behind her. Sitting on her desk was Taako, playing idly with the stone.

“Hey Lucretia, long time no see. You miss me?”

Lucretia just slumps to the floor.

“This is it, I’ve gone mad. That or you’re back from the afterlife to get your revenge. I’m sorry Taako I am so sorry, please forgive me. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Taako laughs and gets up, putting the stone on her desk.

“I bet you are.” He looks over his shoulder, back towards where the baby voidfish is. “You all hearing this? She’s sorry! Sorry that she got me killed, but not so much that she tore us apart.”

Lucretia watches in horror as her friends all come out of the back room, with all of their memories intact. She watches as Lup starts towards her and Barry has to hold her back.

“Barry let go of me! She needs to pay!”

“Lulu chill out, she can pay later. Right now we’ve got shit to do and that involves her. You wanna kill her after? Be my guest.”

Lup calms down and holds onto Barry. The others gather around Taako and talk to him, asking him questions. Lucretia slowly gets up and tries to leave, but the door slams shut as she opens it. Quickly she turns around to see Taako glaring at her.

“You aren’t going anywhere Luce. Now come here and sit down. You’ve done enough damage.”

Shakily Lucretia nods and walks over to them, sitting in her chair.

As the six of them catch up Lucretia watches. It hurt to know that she’d taken this from them and she’d never truly be a part of it again. This was just part of her punishment.


	5. A Bit of Kravitz and Fixing the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako meets Kravitz and fixes the Light of Creation.

After leaving Lup and Barry, Taako goes to do his own thing and keep searching for the relics. The only one he manages to find is his own, but he knew all he had to do was wait and Lucretia would find the others. So he would catch rides up to her moon base and play a little game. Moving the hat around and watching her reactions was hilarious. He even got Lup in on it for when he wasn’t around.

Of course the reason he wasn’t around was because of a very handsome reaper he met in Lucas’ lab. Ever since then he’d been hanging out with Kravitz when he wasn’t busy with his own job. It was just recently that he’d gone on a date with the guy and had the time of his life. When the date was over though Kravitz had to leave quickly because of his job, so Taako figured he should do his own plan. So he waited patiently.

The look on Lucretia’s face was enough to satisfy his need for revenge, but he knew Lup wouldn’t be so happy about it. Now wasn’t the time though. Now was the time to catch up and get ready for the Hunger.

“Hey Cap’nport, you ready to take over this biz and get to work? The Hunger should be here in about… Uh hell hold on I can tell you.”

Taako makes a little shrine to Istus on the desk.

“Anyone home? I’ve got a question.”

_ ‘Ask away Taako, I will answer to the best of my abilities.’ _

“How long would you say we’ve got until the Hunger gets here?”

_ ‘You have about two weeks Taako. Is that all?’ _

“Yep, thanks. I’ll check in again later.”

He moves the shrine aside.

“Taako what the hell was that?”

“Oh y’know, perks of being brought back to life by a goddess. So we’ve got two weeks to prepare.”

Davenport nods and gathers the others to start making plans on what to do. Taako moves over to Lucretia and takes her staff.

“You won’t be needing this anymore. We’re putting the light back together now.” Taako starts gathering up the pieces, making sure he has them all. “Ok, one light coming up. I just gotta get to a temple. Give me like a day.”

With that he leaves as the others work on their plan to defeat the Hunger once and for all. It was an easy trip to a temple to bring the pieces before Istus and have her put it all back together into the Light of Creation.

_ ‘Now Taako, you know you must be careful. If this fails I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to leave.’ _

“I know, but I also know that it’s not gonna come down to that… Well I guess I’ll see you when this is all over.”

_ ‘Please do. I worry about you and your family.’ _

He nods and heads back to the base, snagging a ride back. When he gets there he brings the light to Davenport.

“Here we are, the Light of Creation whole once again. For good this time.”

“Thank you Taako.”

Taako nods and moves off to the side to tap his stone of farspeach. When he doesn’t get a response he goes back over to the others.

“Alright, what’s the plan?”

“We’re using an updated version of Lucretia’s plan. She was going to use the spell to put a bubble around this plane and cut it off. Instead, we’ll put the bubble around the Hunger. We just have to have someone channel the spell.”

“I’ll do it. At this point I can’t die so it might as well be me. The rest of you protect this plane from the ground while I go up with Cap’nport. No I will not change my mind on this so don’t bother.”

Lup hugs Taako tightly and he hugs back just as tight.

“You better come back, you hear me?”

“I can’t die Lulu, of course I will.”

“I mean it Taako, I will kick your ass in the afterlife if you die.”

“I’ll be fine. Worry about Dav, he’s the one taking me up close so I can cast this spell.”

Lup nods, but doesn’t let go of her twin. Taako carefully sits down and pulls her into his lap so they can just sit and be close to each other for a while. They had been apart for far too long and they needed this. So the others plan on what exactly they would be doing as the two sat and just relaxed.

It’s not until late that a rift opens and Kravitz steps out, looking around. Taako was the only one still awake, his sister in his lap and Barry leaned against his shoulder. He smiles when he sees the other.

“Hey bone man, what’s shaking?”

“I uh… I noticed you tried to contact me. I was on a job.”

“Yeah, I kinda guessed.” Carefully he moves Barry over to lean on Magnus and puts Lup onto Barry’s lap. “Help a guy up?”

Kravitz moves over and holds out his hand, smiling as Taako takes it and pulls himself up.

“So, wanna go on a walk with me? Everyone should be asleep.”

“Sure.” Kravitz offers his arm and Taako takes it, walking around the base with him.

“So, we’re getting close to the end… Usually we’d be packing up and getting ready to go. Just move onto the next plane because we don’t know what else to do.”

“Will that happen this time?”

“I sure hope not.”

“As do I. I’d like you to stay here. Perhaps we can um… Go on another date some time.”

“Well Krav, whether the others leave or not I’ll still be here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m… I’m not the Taako that came with them. I’m a copy of that Taako. So if they leave they’ll all disappear and reappear on that ship as they leave the plane. I won’t, I’ll stay right here. I was made by Istus and I have to stay here until the end. So I have to hope this all goes well. If not, Davenport will fly off and they’ll all be fine, but I’ll be here. They won’t even know.”

“Taako... “ Kravitz pulls Taako close. “I’ll fight with you all to be sure that doesn’t happen. You’ll all stay here and together. I promise.”

“Well thanks handsome, I’ll hold you to it.” Quickly he leans up and gives Kravitz a quick kiss. “There, now you have to.”

Kravitz blushes and looks away, covering his face.

“Shit… Krav I’m sorry. I should’ve asked-”

Then Kravitz is kissing Taako with a newly warmed face, his slightly warm hands cupping his cheeks. It felt right and good and he never wanted to stop. They didn’t have to breathe so why did he have to? It’s not until he hears someone clear their throat that he pulls away and looks over.

“Taako kiss your boyfriend later, we’re kinda busy.”

“You can kiss Barry but I can’t kiss Kravitz? I call unfair. Now go away.”

“Well Taako as much as I’d like to continue this I have another job I have to get to.”

“Oh fine. Just make sure you’re ready.”

“I will. See you then Taako.” He kisses Taako’s cheek and cuts a portal into space, leaving just as he’d come.

Lup grins and goes over to Taako, wrapping an arm around him.

“So, the grim reaper huh?”

“Shut up Lup.”

She laughs and takes them back to the main office.


	6. The Day of Story and Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hunger is here.

Today was the day. Taako was sitting on the Starblaster with the Light of Creation, channeling the spell he needed. He just had to hope it worked. As he sits he just focuses on all of the good things on this plane, all of the things that he wanted to show his family. Maybe he could cook for them all again like all times. If things went bad then it wouldn’t be _him_ it would be the old him. The one who died. That Taako would get another chance and he wouldn’t see his family ever again. They would have to leave without him.

The only person he’d told about that was Kravitz. Now that was a happy thought. At least if everything went to shit he still had Kravitz there for him That was his only solace. He had to try though, to protect this plane as best he could. He was tired of leaving when it got too close.

“Taako, are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready Davenport. Hunger should be here soon. Everyone in their positions?”

“Yes, they’re all ready to start this thing.”

Davenport goes up to the wheel and starts the Starblaster.

“Let’s hope we don’t have to leave.”

“I can agree to that Cap’nport. Now let’s get up in the air. The closer we are to it the better. If I can use this spell before it gets too bad down here then that’s good.”

Davenport nods and flies up, going quite a ways before stopping and waiting patiently. They both knew it was time when the color seemed to fade from the world. Everything became a little more gray. So he flies higher and Taako gets up, waiting to see the first glimpse of the Hunger.

“Dav, you’ll have to fly around a bit. I’m not quite ready.”

“How much longer do you need?”

“Fifteen minutes tops.”

“Alright, hold on tight. It’s gonna get bumpy.”

With that everything started. The Hunger started beating at this plane as hard as it could, ready to destroy it and take the Light once more. It was too hungry to wait any longer. Taako shifted his footing so he wouldn’t fall as Davenport flew the Starblaster perfectly. It was like he’d never stopped. So he evaded as best he could to protect them both until Taako was ready.

“Taako, any minute now would be great!”

“I’m almost done! Keep your pants on!”

Taako climbs up the mast, wanting to be as high as he could to cast this spell. Once he’s got a sure footing he casts the bubble, using up every spell slot he had just to do this properly. As he did he closed his eyes.

“Istus please let this work. I don’t want to lose them.”

‘It will work Taako, open your eyes and see for yourself.’

Taako hesitantly opens his eyes and sees that it is in fact working, so he puts all of his effort into this spell. When he’s done he cheers, but stumbles and falls. He didn’t have the energy to keep himself upright. Thankfully someone was there to catch him. A very handsome man all in black.

“I’ve got you Taako, just rest.”

“Thanks Krav.”

Taako holds onto Kravitz as he passes out. Davenport takes them down to the others and Kravitz carries Taako over. Lup is the first one over there, checking on her brother.

“He’s fine, I promise. I caught him before he could hit the deck.”

“Yeah, he used all of his spell slots. He’s gonna be out for a while. Let’s get him somewhere comfy.”

Kravitz nods and follows Lup, who snags Barry along the way. They get back onto the moon base and to their room, putting Taako in the extra bed. Carefully Kravitz sits next to him and pets his hair.

“He’s gonna be fine.”

“I know, now I need to talk to you about being liches. That’s kinda not allowed.”

He feels a hand on his and looks over to see Taako waking up.

“Already talked with Istus about it and your boss said it was cool. Stand down bone man.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

“Bone daddy then.”

“No, worse. Much worse.”

“Boner man.”

“How about my name Taako? Would it kill you to use my name?”

“Possibly. Now kiss me, I think I earned this one.”

Kravitz chuckles.

“Your sister is still here.”

“Don’t care. Now come here, don’t make me sit up.”

With a playful sigh Kravitz leans down and gives Taako a quick kiss, only to be pulled back before he can sit up properly. Quietly Lup and Barry leave them to it. Lup wouldn’t intrude this time. Anything else could wait for a while. They were safe and everything was good. That is until Taako disappeared, leaving Kravitz to wonder what had happened. All that was left was his hat.

When he finds the others all he can do is hold out the hat. They all rush over quickly, wanting to know what was going on.

“I don’t… He was just gone. This was all that was left. He didn’t have any spell slots left so it’s not like he could have left on his own.”

“Well it’s not like anyone can just teleport him away and he wouldn’t willingly leave his hat.”

Lup paces a bit and then jumps off the base. The others follow as she heads to the nearest temple of Istus. If anyone would know where Taako was it would be the goddess who brought him back to life. She had to know. If not Lup would start looking herself. She just got her brother back and she wouldn’t lose him so easily.

Kravitz goes to talk to the Raven Queen, hoping she would know something. She and Istus were close, she had to know. When he got there though… His Queen was upset. This was a new turn of events and he didn’t know what to do. So he went to offer his comfort as best he could. What else could he do?


	7. Taako's Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What will become of Taako after the Hunger is defeated?

Taako was in someone’s hold. It was a hold that was all too familiar to him, so he just relaxes. He would get an answer as to why he was here if he was patient… But he wasn’t patient and he knew that she knew that he wasn’t.

“So, what has you bringing me here?”

_ ‘Taako, you’ve done your duty. So I decided it was time to talk I knew you would avoid this so I tried something new. A trick from your friend Merle. This is Parlay.’ _

“Oh… Well then let’s talk I suppose.”

_ ‘This body you are in was always supposed to be temporary, you know that. As such it will decay soon and you will go back to the afterlife.’ _

“I can’t die yet… I just got my family back, I just got a boyfriend. Lup needs me!”

_ ‘Lup is strong, she has Barry to comfort her. Kravitz will hurt, but eventually he will move on. Such is life.’ _

“Well fuck that. I’m not ready to go. I wasn’t ready the first time either!”

_ ‘I see, then you’ll have to go get your old body and start a new life. You won’t be able to be in the limelight anymore.’ _

“If I can stay with them, I can accept that. Getting my body is gonna be a bit hard though.”

_ ‘You are a wizard, I’m sure you will find a way.’ _

“It’s gonna take a day. I’m out of slots.”

_ ‘You have only two days before this body falls apart and your soul goes back to the afterlife.’ _

“Can’t you extend that at all?”

_ ‘No, I’m afraid not. Now, do we have a deal?’ _

He nods and shakes her hand.

_ ‘Then the Parlay is done, rest up but don’t take too long. Two days is all you have Taako.’ _

When he wakes up he’s in a temple of Istus. Carefully he gets up and rubs his face, then looks up when he hears footsteps.

“Taako!”

“Lup, hey come here. We’ve got a job to do and asap.”

Lup hurries over and hugs her brother.

“What’s up?”

“Oh y’know, I’ve got two days before I go back to the afterlife if I don’t go get my old body.”

“Would there even be a body left? Shit Taako you died years ago.”

“We gotta try Lulu. I wanna stick around more than two more days.”

“Then let’s get moving. Barry! Get us a wagon now!”

Taako and Lup move out of the temple as Barry rushes off to get them a wagon.

“What, no bone man?”

“I guess he went to look for you on his own. He can definitely get around faster than the rest of us.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Now, I gotta work on getting back my spell slots.”

“I’ve got you, just get some sleep.”

Taako nods and falls asleep, knowing Lup would keep him steady until Barry got back. When he wakes up they’re already at Glamour Springs. It had taken twelve hours at most. Now they needed to figure out how to get his body out of the grave and back to a temple. Thankfully there was still one close by if the Hunger hadn’t destroyed it. He had to be sure though or it was wasted time

“Lup, hey go and see if that temple is still standing. If not then we’ve gotta hurry and then get back as fast as we can. I haven’t got a lot of time.”

“Alright, I’ll be back.” Lup hops off the wagon and runs off to where the temple is supposed to be.

“Alright Barold, you ready to dig me up?”

“No… But I want to make sure you stay here. So let’s do this.”

Taako casts a spell to hide them and they grab a couple shovels, heading to Taako’s grave.

“We’ve gotta be fast about this. So let’s get to it.” Taako starts digging and Barry follows suit. It’s not too long until the hit the wooden casket and they both pause.

“Should we..?”

“We take the casket and all I do not want to see my own body.”

“Good point.”

They both grab an end and get it out of the grave, then hurry back to the wagon, shoving it in the back as Lup runs up.

“The temple is toast. We gotta get back to the other one.”

“Then let’s go. I’ll sit back here with this.”

Taako climbs into the back and the other two sit up front, not wanting to look at the casket. It was just too weird for all of them. Now they just had to hurry and hope nothing too bad happened on the way back.

When night falls Lup takes over as Barry climbs into the back to get some sleep. Taako was sitting next to the casket, trying not to look at it.

“You should get some sleep too Taako.”

“Nah, I gotta keep an eye on this thing, make sure it stays put. You sleep Barry.”

“Fine. Just try not to put too much strain on yourself.”

Taako nods a bit and looks up down at his lap. This body was already falling apart. They had to hurry up or soon he’d just fall apart and die. He didn’t want that at all. He didn’t want to leave everyone for good. He knew Lup would make them all leave to get him back. Then he wouldn’t have Kravitz anymore and he would rather be dead than just leave him behind.

He taps at his stone, hoping to talk to Kravitz, but after a few tries with no response he gives up. Hopefully there would still be a chance for them to get together after all of this. He was definitely not done kissing Kravitz.

 

By the time they get to the temple Taako knew he didn’t have much time left.

“Lulu come help me with this and quick.”

Lup hurries around to the back and helps Taako carry the casket inside.

“Now what?”

“Now you clear out and don’t come inside no matter what you hear. Just stay outside until it’s done.”

Lup nods and gives Taako a big hug, then leaves quickly.

“Alright Istus, I’m here and I have my body.” He pushes open the casket and gags a bit. “Come on, time to put me back!”

Nothing, there was no response.

“Istus! I did what you wanted! Now put me back! I don’t want to die again!”

_ ‘I’m sorry Taako… You are too far gone. I cannot put you back in your body.’ _

“No! No you promised me! Put me back! Istus!!”

Taako slumps and shakes. He didn’t want to die again. It didn’t hurt the first time, but this certainly did. He could feel it in every part of his body. Carefully he lays down and holds his stone of farspeech as he tries to stay awake. This was the true end to Taako the wizard and even a reset wouldn’t bring back this version of him. He’d been through so much that who he was before wouldn’t have been able to comprehend it.

He couldn’t feel his legs anymore and his hands were losing feeling in them, but he kept a tight grip on his stone. He wanted to try and contact Kravitz again, but he knew regardless that they would be seeing each other again soon. Just not in the way he hoped. His arms were dead at this point. His stone held loosely in his hand. Why did it have to be like this? He just wanted to be with his family one more time. Was that too much to ask? He could feel every small part of him shutting down. It was becoming hard to breathe and black spots were appearing in his vision. He didn’t want to go alone like this. All alone in a cold temple while his sister was outside. How long would Lup wait until she came in? Would she be able to keep her form or would this break her? He had to hope Barry would keep her sane. She couldn’t die too. Not after all of this. That would hurt everyone if both of them went at the same time. Of course that was always how they thought it would happen. Together in death as in life.

Now though… Now he wanted her to live and be happy. Not mourn him for too long. Oh his eyelids were so heavy… No, he had to stay awake. He had to hope Istus would change her mind. Please… Oh there was no hope. He was going to die here. Might as well accept it.

Taako dies for the second time on the floor of the temple of Istus. After twenty minutes of silence Lup rushes in to check on Taako and screams as she finds him dead. That night the IPRE, minus Lucretia who had disappeared, burn both bodies. None of them know what to say. Barry wonders if he could have been faster. Lup wonders what she could have done.

Over the next year they all find a place and start to rebuild. Lup tries to leave with the Starblaster several times and is stopped every time. After a while she gives up. They build a house for Taako as well, knowing that if they didn’t it would feel wrong. They all make sure that it would be up to his standards and then shut the door, leaving it be.

On days when the hurt is too much they all stay in there for the day, just wishing Taako was there. One day Kravitz shows up in the house, just sitting on the couch. Lup is the one to find him and she sits next to him and they just sit in silence, enjoying the company for what it’s worth. Kravitz gets his own house after a while and he stays there when he’s not doing jobs. Being on the plane where Taako died felt right in a way, but he couldn’t bring himself to stay in Taako’s house. That was his and he had no business being there.

It’s not until exactly two years later that someone shows up at their homes. It’s early in the morning and no one was up, so the stranger went unnoticed. They all woke up to an odd smell though. A sweet smell coming from Taako’s house. A few thought it was Lup, but she stepped outside of her own home with Barry. Magnus quickly grabbed railsplitter and they all went inside to see who had intruded into Taako’s house. What they find shocks them all.

There was Taako, baking a lot of sweets on top of cooking a very big breakfast. The first one over there is Kravitz surprisingly. He quickly turns Taako around and gives him a once over before kissing him, holding him close.

“Well hey there handsome. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Taako how are you alive? I’m sure we’d all like to know.”

“Well it turns out to live again permanently I had to die again. And because you guys burnt my old body after I told you to wait.” Lup looks down sheepishly. “I needed a new one from scratch. A permanent body takes a while.”

Lup hurries over to Taako and hugs him tightly and he hugs back as he makes sure the food won’t burn.

“Alright, off. I gotta finish this up. Take a seat everybody, breakfast is almost done.”

Everyone hesitates, not sure if they should look away. Taako groans and flicks his hand at the table, making the chairs scoot out.

“I said sit. I’m not going anywhere.”

They all take a seat and Taako brings the food over, putting enough food for each person on each plate. When he’s done he puts the pans aside and sits down.

“There’s extra if anyone wants it. I know you all.”

Lup scoots so she’s right up against Taako as they all start eating. Under the table they hold hands, wanting as much contact as possible. He knew the past year had to be hard on her. So he would do what it took to make sure she was alright. Then he would work on the others. It would take some time, but they were all together again. That’s what mattered.


End file.
